Leaving Egypt

Leaving Egypt

By

Gary Primo

April 3, 2021

Every Passover season we commemorate the escape from Egypt by the Israelites. When we read over the story of their escape in the book of Exodus that most of them did not want to leave, we wonder why this was the case. Another such incident occurred with the Jews in Babylonian captivity. Only a remnant returned to the land of Israel. The rest preferred to remain under the thumb of their captors. Today this is known as the “Stockholm Syndrome”. What is that?

Stockholm syndrome, psychological response wherein a captive begins to identify closely with his or her captors, as well as with their agenda and demands.

This is precisely what the Israelites suffered from. Following 430 years of Egyptian tyranny, the Israelites knew of no other way of life. Sure, they feared the Egyptians; however, they feared the unknown even more. And after 70 years of serving the Babylonians, they became comfortable with their lives there. Sure, life was difficult, but at least they were alive – or were they? Some things are worse than death. I would imagine that most (as with Northern Israel) eventually assimilated with the religions of their captors and lost their identity as Israelites. It was likely a “label” they thought they were well shed of, because all it brought them was condemnation and hostility from all the other nations. They found peace (or a form of it) in their captivity.

It is no different today. We have almost an entire planet enslaved under the influence of HaSatan, the grand master of slavery. They are absolutely devoted to their master and believe all his lies. And they are perfectly fine with suffering death for their erroneous beliefs. They are spiritually ill and cannot see the truth for the life of them.

Let us see if we can find some answers in the words the Israelites said to moses.

Exodus 14:11 - They said to Moses, “Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt?

When the Israelites saw the Egyptian army pursuing them, they were overtaken by great fear. They had long forgotten how Yahuwah fought for their forefathers many years previous. Humanly speaking, their fear was rightly placed; for without Yahuwah’s Mighty Hand, they most likely would have perished. In spite of their fears and doubts, Yahuwah stood by them. Yahuwah expected obedience from them even though they did not fully understand what it was that Yahuwah desired of them.

12 - Didn’t we say to you in Egypt, ‘Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians’? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!”

Can we imagine these Israelites being so lacking in faith that they honestly believed Yahuwah would lead them out of Egyptian captivity only to let them die in the desert? They feared what the world would do to them over what Yahuwah desired for them. It must not be so with us.

Of course, we all know the history of backsliding Israel. There were times when they faithfully served Yahuwah and enjoyed His blessings. There were also times when they strayed and suffered Yahuwah’s anger and punishment. Things are no different for Israel today. They have strayed so far from Yahuwah that they honor the writings of their famed Rabbis over the Torah. They are worse than their forefathers and Yahuwah will not suffer their sin for much longer. Soon all nations will converge on Israel; and if not for Yahuwah’s intervention, Israel would disappear into historical oblivion.

One has to wonder, “How, with all that they witnessed during the exodus, could they have any doubts that Yahuwah could do exactly as He promised? The ten plagues that Yahuwah sent upon the Egyptians would have been enough proof for anyone else, but not the Israelites. The sight of a great pillar of cloud by day and of fire by night, standing watch over them and protecting them from the Egyptians was proof that Yahuwah was with them. How could they yet harbor any doubt?

If any of us yet doubt, we have a huge problem and must work on that endlessly. Learn from the backsliding Israelites and do not follow their example. Believe and trust in Yahuwah without any doubt whatsoever.

13 - Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance Yahuwah will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again.

The words of Moses likely did little to quell the fears of the Israelites under the circumstances, however, they had little other choice. Then, when the sea parted for them, they had the escape they sought. Even so, their fear quickly returned when they saw the Egyptians following them into the sea. When they reached the safety of the other side and witnessed the sea return to normal and drown the entire Egyptian army, their fear turned to jubilation and they had no more doubt that Yahuwah was with them. And yet, this was not the end of their rebellions.

It is easy to look back on these events with judgmental attitudes, believing that we are any better than those doubting Israelites; however, we would make better use of our time seeking self-evaluation than judging others. We must be absolutely sure we have no lingering doubts remaining.

14 - Yahuwah will fight for you; you need only to be still.”

Yes, when times of trouble land on our doorsteps, it is an automatic response to seek our own solution before seeking Yahuwah’s protection. We all know that Yahuwah promises to protect us, as long as we remain true to Him. All we need to do is “be still” and allow Yahuwah to do His thing.

One day (almost 30 years ago), I had to go to Toronto. It had been freezing rain the night before and the roads and traffic were a mess. The major highway I had originally sought to take was almost at a standstill, so I decided to exit onto a side road. Well, as I crested a hill, I saw the traffic at the bottom of the hill was barely moving. I was only doing about 35 mph. but as much as I tried to slow down, I just kept sliding. At the bottom of the hill was a bridge, suspended some 30 to 40 feet over a railroad line. I found myself siding right for the guard rails. Since there was nothing I could do, I resolved myself to the fact that I was going through the guard rail down the long drop to the tracks below. Since my efforts to gain control of the vehicle appeared futile, I just let go of the steering wheel, closed my eyes and placed my trust in Yahuwah to get me out of the situation. And Yahuwah did not let me down. It seemed as if two invisible hands took hold of my vehicle and gently guided it back safely onto the road. As the opposing traffic passed, I could see the astonished looks on their faces and wondered what exactly they had seen. They may not have understood what they saw, but I certainly did.

Sometimes the only thing we can do is “be still” and allow Yahuwah to glorify His name before us. And it is usually a wonder to behold when it does happen. Where the Israelites of old failed, the Apostles of Yahushua succeeded. Their faith was absolute. They knew how to be still and allow Yahuwah to rescue them. They were saved numerous times from certain death or severe punishment. Will Yahuwah do any less for us if we are faithful? Of course not.

Conclusion

Fear is a very intense emotion in all species of animals as well as humans. Usually when faced with such events, we have two choices fight or flight. But the fear remains regardless of the choice we make. We think of our soldiers fighting a war somewhere and what heroes they are, but what is a hero really? We have to remember that those soldiers were drafted while still in their teens. Their youth was suddenly snatched away from them and they are faced with the reality of war. I can guarantee you that they are scared to death each time they engage in battle.

The fear for some is what prompts them to action. King David is a great example. He was likely as afraid as the rest of the Israelites when he faced the terrifying giant, Goliath. Yet, his faith in Yahuwah quelled his fear enough to get off that fatal shot. Being in Yahuwah’s army, we need to have complete faith in His guidance and His assurance of victory. We must be like King David.

This Passover season, like all the former ones, is a time for self-reflection and introspection of our spiritual state. Did we grow in the spirit over the past year? Did we reflect Yahushua at all times? Were there times we were ashamed of our actions or words? Did we repent and ask forgiveness for such unrighteous actions and words afterward? As we ponder those questions, we should, at the same time, be plotting our spiritual course for the coming year, determined to do better than the previous year. None of us wish to experience Yahuwah’s condemnation.

So, this year let us all set our sights on becoming the perfect reflection of Yahushua, putting away all fear and trusting only in Yahuwah. He alone is our salvation. Do not trust any man to stand between you and Yahuwah. No one else can be trusted.

We know the attributes of the 144,000;

Rev. 14:4 - These are those who did not defile themselves with women, for they remained virgins. They follow the Lamb wherever he goes. They were purchased from among mankind and offered as firstfruits to Elohim and the Lamb.

5 - No lie was found in their mouths; they are blameless.

Do we qualify? If not, what are we going to do this year to ensure our qualification? Until we fully reflect Yahushua, we yet have work to do. So, let us roll up our sleeves and get at ‘er.

Yahuwah Bless

G.P.